The notion that President Obama is trying to fire up his “base,” as
he prepares for a re-election campaign, raises the question of what
constitutes his base. It is becoming increasingly clear that the
“workers” he is supposedly concerned about are going to be dismissed or
ignored so that wealthy environmental groups can be accommodated.
Consider
the words of Cecil Roberts, president of the powerful United Mine
Workers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, after EPA administrator Lisa P.
Jackson made a ruling against coal plants. “The Navy SEALs shot Osama
Bin Laden in Pakistan and Lisa Jackson shot us in Washington,” Roberts
said. Those who missed the news about Jackson shutting down coal plants
through executive branch rules and regulations may have been unprepared
for the Roberts assault. It was a big story for the media but framed in a
way that played down the significance of what is taking place.
“For
New Generation of Power Plants, a New Emission Rule From the E.P.A.”
was the misleading headline over the story in The New York Times. Much
more is at stake than just a “new emission rule” that is somehow
supposed to affect global warming.
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